Which inventor is associated with creating the first permanent negative in photography?

• A. William Henry Fox Talbot
• B. Louis Daguerre
• C. Sir John Herschel
• D. Janssen

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is who first created a lasting photographic negative that could be used to make multiple prints. William Henry Fox Talbot developed the calotype process, which produced a paper negative coated with silver iodide. This negative captured the scene and could be repeatedly printed to make many positive images, revolutionizing photography by enabling reproduction.

In contrast, the daguerreotype, developed by Louis Daguerre, yielded a direct positive image on a polished metal plate—there was no reusable negative to make multiple copies. Sir John Herschel contributed important photographic concepts and chemistry, such as the idea of a negative and positive image and the use of a fixer, but he did not create the first permanent negative. Janssen helped with early photographic hardware, but not the first permanent negative.

So, the inventor associated with the first permanent negative is William Henry Fox Talbot.